1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to molds and more specifically to positioning and locking mold components.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the construction of pneumatic tires, various uncured tire components are assembled together sequentially around a tire building drum and shaped around the drum into the desired toroidal form of the tire. The shaped uncured tire is then cured for strength and durability. Tire molds are used in the curing process to give a tire its final shape and appearance and to vulcanize the components of the tire.
Segmented tire molds are a plurality of sector shaped segments that move radially as depicted in FIG. 1. Heated exterior components of the mold are moved into contact with the tread and sidewall portions of the uncured tire and cure the tire from the outside. A heated bladder is inflated or a core contacts the inner surface of the tire to shape and cure the tire from the inside.
A mold back is a wedge shaped component used to support the mold sectors that form the tread portions of the tire as shown in FIG. 1. Sector tooling provides the connection between the mold back and the mold sector. The purpose of the sector tooling is to position the mold sectors circumferentially around the mold. For safety and quality reasons, it is important to ensure that the mold components are secured within the mold.